and not the noble soul he was. Then I hoisted Robert into the air.

Carts
Carts. literally roasting in their armor. watching me go off. Sophie said with a start. What a glorious adventure awaited. not over peaks. I put the priest's staff to the ground and took a step-the other way.What did flash through my brain was the incredible irony of it all. They raised me as one of their own. dozens of turbaned riders flashing long. thudding and clanging into shields and armor all around. One of the ram carriers went down. No. all the young who had so eagerly signed up. Hortense. The useless wooden staff fell from his hand. I felt connected for the first time in my life. sounding almost disappointed. Th-the thing is. The rest of us surged ahead. Maybe I would be rich. `We'll be in Jerusalem by summer. Norcross nodded.Then. Raymond of Toulouse is forming an army..

I know the same sobering thought pounded through each of our minds. an old knight said..And we did hurry. two black-robed Turks hovered over a priest. stepping toward him. It was said they were disgraced knights who followed a secret lord and had taken vows of poverty until they could buy back their favor in God's eyes. and an abbess answers. the boy stopped in his tracks. We had no siege engines to break such walls. She would never know how I died.. eager not to miss out on the loot. Goodness. spilling over with defenders in white robes and bright blue turbans at every post. I couldn't believe it. word had reached us of the Pope's call. one nonbeliever to another.Then. Sophie. It seemed to stretch out forever... echoed everywhere. Whatever I had come for-freedom. We were at a run.

I sang in the quietest voice before I slept each night. how to read and write. I couldn't hold back the truth from her. Then we held until close to dawn. Norcross pressed on. Robert squinted into the sun. another charge? Weary and frightened soldiers around me moaned in disbelief. Men simply dropped as they marched. Each summer. Carts. even heroic. but this time I charged full force toward the assault.In the doorway of the inn. Robert squinted into the sun. falling to his knees. with no great malice toward the enemy but ready to fight whoever confronted me. And my legs stung from the spray of molten pitch.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue. winding passages where he sees many beautiful young nuns who smile at him. There was nothing left of them?A nauseating anger boiled up in my stomach.OUR POWERLESSNESS WAS SO OBVIOUS it was shameful to me. Hundreds of fortified towers guarded each segment of an outer wall that appeared ten feet thick. Mouse grumbled from behind. Hugh. It seemed as if our whole army was being slaughtered.He nodded.

Under the shield of darkness.He had just uttered these words when another turbaned warrior charged toward him.You're leaving.. Mayhem was still rampant in the streets.That is good.Until we were free. Turk warriors made forays outside the city walls. working around the inn. up ahead. piercing the Turk with my sword. if my lord wants. It was impossible to tell if they were Christian or Turk. All the cattle and oxen had been butchered; even the dogs had been eaten. Rumor had it some holy relics were held ransom there.Many knights sank to their knees in prayer. or the lice crawling in my beard. Antioch would finally fall.Like us. were being held for ransom. We know. curved swords.Such a city I had never seen before in all my life. trying to catch hold on the trail. The rows of red crosses sent a shiver right through me. I looked down.

Mocking us was more like it. I was twice the boy's size. You all understand the laws. he shouted to Raymond. You could die. as far as the river Orontes.. Something from this moment that I would have for the rest of my life.'`Why not?' the traveler thinks.Assault upon assault. A full minute passed before the new rider was able to reach the area.Thanks. Marie begged on her knees. Mouse called to me. piercing the Turk with my sword. And it was vast-thousands of them! Not fitted out with armor or uniforms.. It was said they were disgraced knights who followed a secret lord and had taken vows of poverty until they could buy back their favor in God's eyes. And it was vast-thousands of them! Not fitted out with armor or uniforms. their skin blistered from the touch of the metal.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest. alongside foot soldiers like Robert and me. even before the sun. catcalls. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks.The bastards are welcoming us.

I bent down to pick up the shiny object and could not believe it. his knights began to fan out through town.It's an army.The despicable knight laughed at our priest.We gazed at each other with a sigh of relief. The ranks of farmers.Why had I ever come to this place? I had walked across Europe to fight for a cause in which I didn't even believe. I had hesitated. I turned and took a long last look at the inn. but there was little to find amusing. God can keep it. But a little man in a homespun monk's robe. swept up in the tide of the charge. hacking away at limbs and heads. It seemed impregnable. Then. he said for all to hear. Nicodemus. I could not hold it back. and the treasures I might find on the Crusade.And beyond that.Professor .Heaven's army. you princesses. Fresh-faced and chattering. praised for valor in battle.

He went and cupped the face of the cowering boy in his massive hand.. It's me. eager to fight for the glory of God. People I had known for years shouted.And with your stronger son gone. All I wanted was to get off this ridge. I have something important to talk to you about. Finding nothing. an old knight said. Raymond of Toulouse is forming an army. his knights began to fan out through town. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams. Sophie. What was I doing here? What had I become?I went over to the fallen priest. sweltering in our tunics and armor. Norcross pressed on. Norcross took a hemp rope and. he shouted to Raymond. our burden had seemed bearable. knowing that on the other side lay Antioch. his hope that none of you were swayed by the ravings of that religious crank. I lifted the staff that had been in my hands when the Turk spared my life. No great loss. my companion. charged at me with a scream.

you won't have your treasure for long. Young and old. They swept down on our fleeing troops and hacked them where they stood. but it remained stuck in the dead Turk's chest. the monk named Peter went on. I heard voices. clutching at their heads and throats.Sophie. or even amid the grease and smoke of the kitchen. a thin band of beech wood painted with flowers.. And so wasour song:A maiden met a wandering man / In the light of the moon's pure cheer. I was prepared to say anything. And holy relics desecrated. sucking in precious food. my lord. The child appeared. I heard a struggling.March. West. his military chief.Carrot-top here must be keen on the miller. and I saw I could not get there in time. The child appeared. every twitch of her nose. and the head of a man next to me shot off like a kicked ball.

The old man looked up at me and shook his head. A ways ahead. ? The Turk seemed to sigh. and said. I'll be back. They all bore the wide-eyed. all that I held true and good.Why don't we see what his protection is truly worth.It's an army. or that I was thinking of her at the end. uncared for.Where are we. women. but each step. who managed to keep up his steady stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle. I prayed as I ran that my back would not be ripped apart by a Saracen arrow.For those who come. horsemen appeared. even if you try and deny it. the Spaniard Mouse remarked. slaughtering infidels and hoarding all the spoils. catcalls. Men bowed their heads and crossed themselves.Attack !Our army charged. I think the duke's point is adequately driven home. you must kill me in the name of what we donot embrace.

Riches.Sharpen your knife. how I had since the first time I had set eyes on her. with a thatched crown. pushed east to seize the Turkish fortress at Xerigordon. It seemed impregnable. And there was something that I missed from those days. Clad in colorful.. heads charred and roasted. Nico had made pilgrimages to the Holy Land and knew the language of the Turk. And to God. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed. We were here!A jubilant roar went up. to break the mood.I have to go. Sophie. would she kiss my bright red hair now that it was filled with gore and lice?My queen. and honor in battle. had to be dragged single file up the steep way. one of the nobles in charge. I promised grimly. Then he toppled onto his wife. a new hell awaited. Bloody corpses were scattered everywhere. wagons.

Our entire town gasped in horror. I could no more hold him off than I could a tornado. Robert seemed assured. And I.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. Are you taking notes?The raucous laughter continued for a time as we waited for the knight to emerge. He scanned our village from atop his mount and remarked loudly. The ranks of farmers. this time it's different. This madness just wouldn't stop!On the steps of the altar. This happened.What did flash through my brain was the incredible irony of it all.Hold your tears. they taught me how to perform.. a solid wooden barrier the height of three men.My throat went dry.Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank. the Holy Land. I heard a struggling.. plunging my sword into his neck and watching a flow of blood rush out of the warrior's mouth. humor. This empty block of stone was what we had come to set free. spilling blood. Infidels.

That is the blood of your useless Savior. the column came to a halt. I had to go back. sorry voice. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones. children.We looked at each other for a long while. burst. a bit reluctantly. Once. I ran. God had taken me where I belonged. up ahead.I was able to grip the strap of the leather satchel slung over his shoulder. then fight for the glory of your liege when called upon. I snuggled into the smooth curve of her back.I will help the miller increase his tax by a third.A dark-skinned Saracen whirred by. One false step would mean a grisly death.Your lord asked me to impress upon you. Maybe the language of the Jews. it's summer.The Bosporus. his blade caught the glint of a torch. See how it saves you now. I'm not even a believer.

Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness.' the traveler says. Only last week did you not have two sons?My son Matt has gone to Vaucluse. a Moslem warrior would hurl some urn down from the towers and it would shatter on the ground. Feel free to help yourselves to some of the miller's lovely grain. the Pope's protection is worthless. Who knows what I might find there? There are tales of riches just for the taking. lofting some harmless arrows at us.It was love at first sight for us.Sharpen your knife. tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes.Sophie lifted her head and kissed me.It was love at first sight for us. At the preciousfreedom I was about to be granted at last. I thought we would live out our lives together. this one bare chested and monstrous. It may be cold.Georges threw himself at the chatelain's feet. I said. Or freeing myself.Your buddy's an eager one.I was right.THAT TERRIBLE AFTERNOON changed my life. Norcross laughed. The monk Peter mounted his donkey. cleansing the city of anything Moslem.

We had marched across Europe and through the Alps..I looked at the fallen Turk and whispered good-bye. the truth seemed so clear. As they readied. the bones of saints.Where are we..Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank. I knelt down and took a handful of earth to mark the day and placed it in my pouch. my son?'`I saw your signs along the road. do not defame those who now fight for God's glory. Each year I promised I would come back. What else could matter? I was a fool to have left her. This happened. I took another step. thin as a pole.. stay by me. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. stepping into the center of the square. Robert among them. I staggered around.Then I heard a mule bray from behind. to Toulouse. this one bare chested and monstrous.

my companion.Heaven's army.Hold on .It's an army. Fields that were once milk and honey now lie spattered with the blood of Christian sacrifice.I have to go. like an eighth-moon. And at the head of this assemblage. He exhaled a final breath. It made us realize even more that they would not easily give in. I knelt down and touched his hand. But a little man in a homespun monk's robe. He is drowned. He blinked at me. We were at a run.Suddenly.WE CAME TO A HIGH RIDGE overlooking a vast bone-white plain and there it was. And to God. poured into heaps of dung like spoiled wine. at the entrance. I said to Robert. where ladders were hoisted against the walls and wave after wave of men climbed over.I wanted to take something from the church with me. I screamed. their chargers useless. I rolled my eyes.

A few latecomers in clean armor rushed by me. A sea of body parts.. A left at the next ridge and we should seeRome. with one purpose.Stumbling on a ledge. sucking our water skins dry. the water was still no higher than the horse's ankles.We've got to get out of here. loud footsteps burst through the outer door. I took another step.She stopped and smiled at my plain flax tunic and calfskin vest. I could no more hold him off than I could a tornado. Next to his.It was a slaughter. horses. Georges said. the bones of saints. carrying clubs and tools straight from home. And at the head of this assemblage. but they fell against the massive walls like harmless sticks.The other assailant rose and faced me. Consider your tax raised. Those are Turk!FOR TWO WEEKS we rested outside the gates of Constantinople. What was I doing here? What had I become?I went over to the fallen priest. wielding leaded clubs and axes.

Just like when we were children.It was the image I carried for the next two years.Where you're headed. whatever dream of freedom or wealth had brought me here. of relics and glory; the innocent of finally proving their worth. And here they were. the monk named Peter went on.Disaster loomed in front of my eyes. men and women; some carrying axes and mallets and old swords. `Now. you princesses.I searched his eyes for panic. And my regiment. `We'll be in Jerusalem by summer.A cabbage. a buttress of gray rock thirty feet tall. And to God. horsemen at their tails. I knew. All I wanted was to get off this ridge. the water was still no higher than the horse's ankles. don't let this be some kind of cruel trick. Back toward the city gate. helmets gleaming in the sun. to Toulouse.WE CAME TO A HIGH RIDGE overlooking a vast bone-white plain and there it was.

yet they barely dented the massive walls.I heard voices outside. Her legs parted and I gently eased myself inside. But he did not.I don't know. God will watch over me. The rest of us surged ahead. Some puked and turned away.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face. as another interminable valley loomed before our eyes.But the old Greek was too slow and laden with gear to get out of the way.Ibn Kan. if there were any fucking trees..Their presence here could only signal harm. but the stone gave way. No reason to make one less. we joined forces with Count Robert of Flanders and Bohemond of Antioch.It was only with Sophie that I felt truly free. When we hit the mountains.. with bright red crosses.I bring greetings from your lord.What was going on?I rushed to the second-floor window of the inn I looked after with my wife.I bring greetings from your lord. To study the metal trade.

mapmakers.. And to God.The other assailant rose and faced me. He was tugging on his knife. Hugh? What could be more important than what we've just shared?I swallowed. A bearded knight helped him slide off.Father Leo spoke up.One by one. from infidel spies. I thought I saw something there that in that instant mirrored my own thoughts. I saw something there that this whole bloody night I had not seen: virtue. That brave smile. sweltering in our tunics and armor.. all that I held true and good. Those that stopped to attend to them were engulfed in the same boiling liquid themselves. I heard nobles disagreeing on the proper spot to ford the river..It was a scabbard.No one wants to hear your silly jokes. It made us realize even more that they would not easily give in. Amid all this fighting. which fell all the way down her back. We can do anything we want. We'll throw in two bushels of carrots!I was about to go on-a joke.

at the entrance. hacking away at limbs and heads. It seemed impregnable. Those are Turk!FOR TWO WEEKS we rested outside the gates of Constantinople. or even amid the grease and smoke of the kitchen.let the boy up. we were told. Different from a moment ago.Just a few days before. gaining hold. looting. I've come to carve the Turks. Those that stopped to attend to them were engulfed in the same boiling liquid themselves. resolved that any breath might be my last. A volley of arrows shot back from the towers in return.. In any case.He peered over the edge and swallowed. a soldier hushed him. watching me go off. Consider your tax raised. From that moment on. the Pope's protection is worthless. Their clothing was charred and tattered. another charge? Weary and frightened soldiers around me moaned in disbelief. delving back to my days as an innkeeper.

On that first morning we lined up. the Holy Land. how I had since the first time I had set eyes on her. I had promised Sophie. Another yelping rider bore directly into our ranks as if bent on self-murder. This attacker was a bear of a man with massive arms nearly twice the size of mine. And deeply in love. He blinked at me. Peter's we signed up for.I gave him a wink. Then I hoisted Robert into the air. It carries your food for the next two weeks. their white tunics ablaze. Hortense. realizing how close we had come to death. brave souls? The monk reached out his arms. she whispered. my fear left me. You are no soldier. What remains of it. side by side.Frantic shouts rang out. a teasing rhyme:A maiden met a wandering manIn the light of the moon's pure cheer. a grim odor pressed at my nostrils.The three years we'd been married had been the happiest I had known..

Outside Civetot we had our first taste of the enemy. I told him. carrot-top. Hugh. I heard thewhoosh from a wave of arrows shooting across the sky.Before this day I had never taken a life. to pick sunflowers for you. bearing the knight in full chain mail. lashing the boy's wrists and ankles tightly to the water wheel. working around the inn. yellows from China. But instead of attacking Moslem horsemen streaking out. which Nicodemus had taught me. Her legs parted and I gently eased myself inside. and a man disappeared over the edge. Laughter that had somehow touched the Turk.Then I did a little hop.There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west. I am sure.We focused on the eastern wall. said another in a parched. I could see that she was scared. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams. clattering to the ground.I finally caught sight of Sophie. But it seemed strong.

the priest said. If one of our illustrious leaders hears you.The traveler assumes it is a joke. we grew to hate and curse. a heralded fighter. They grinned and dragged poor Aim?e.I am finally free.tonight !Tonight. raising the knight's heavy torso. Are the mapmakers taking notes?I never knew that a peacock would so take to water.I looked into his hooded eyes. my love.Norcross shouted. endured so much-God's call resounding in their hearts-were cut down like grain in a field. madness boiled out of control. Hugh? What could be more important than what we've just shared?I swallowed.I looked at Robert.Twenty. You must let go. eager to show our face to the Turks. with no great malice toward the enemy but ready to fight whoever confronted me.WE BURIED THE DEAD for six days straight. almost dumbfounded.Go where ? There was something in his face. a shroud stained by the tears of Mary and the very lance that had pierced the Savior's side on the cross. This empty block of stone was what we had come to set free.

The giant man hesitated. stuffing his entrails into his mouth as he died. The Turk let out a chilling howl. buckling to their knees..My knight. I heard Sophie scream. students and scholars who entertained from town to town. The talk.Infidels unlucky enough not to be killed on the field of battle were handed to them like scraps to a dog.My attacker hesitated. with bright red crosses. Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness.Your lord asked me to impress upon you. I sang in the quietest voice before I slept each night. The Turk fell to his knees.' the traveler says.He was just a boy.Even the men!I had traveled across Europe in my youth and had played most of the large cathedral towns. You saw what happened today. had to be dragged single file up the steep way. I felt I had shamed myself.As I looked at my murderer. two miles. it's summer. in a way I was proud.

madness boiled out of control. kicking and screaming.I bring greetings from your lord. and I saw I could not get there in time.I am finally free. only to be surrounded and chopped to bits. The detachment at Xerigordon had already been done in-not by siege butthirst. then he delved through the Turk's robes. I did not.. `What may we do for you. or offal. looked him in the eye. And deeply in love.. I muttered. an enclave of stone dwellings on the edge of a dense wood. We're going in. went up to greet him. and gruesome gasps escaped from their wretched mouths. a prize like this could buy us food for a winter. One by one. horses. curved bows glinting in the morning sun. God wills thismurder ?I HAD NO SOONER STEPPED INSIDE the dark. Foot soldiers were hurling their lances up at the defenders.

a hazel twig to clean my teeth.I will never forget that deafeningwhoosh.There were some early successes. Spare him!He managed to kill the first one with a mighty sweep of his sword. Six thousand. another survivor recounted. We traveled the large cathedral towns. I stepped over to the body of the man who had spared me and looked. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours. confused. gnashing their teeth as if they wanted to devour the enemy alive.. daylight darkened. I had to do something-even if it sealed my own fate. I heard the loudest chorus of voices. Isn't that right. turbaned and cloaked in robes. I was trembling with horror. I was sure..I will come! I will take the Cross. Several other people. I vowed to carry it with me wherever I went for the rest of my life.As he made his way back across the square. until his powerful body resembled some hideous slab of meat and not the noble soul he was. Then I hoisted Robert into the air.